Global Handwashing Day: Extending a Hand to Promote Health and Hygiene to Communities Across the World
Cargill Currents community beneficiaries in Brazil accessing clean water to wash hands (Photo credit: ChildFund)
For many households around the world, waking up every day with access to clean water for washing, preparing food, and practicing proper hygiene is an expected convenience. Clean running water to wash hands from a readily available tap becomes a naturally anticipated resource that forms part of daily life without much consideration.
However in reality, according to UNICEF, 2 billion people still lack basic hygiene services, including 653 million without any form of accessible facilities (WHO/UNICEF, 2023) and proper access to hand hygiene facilities remains very low, with 462 million children attending schools with no handwashing facilities at all (WHO/UNICEF, 2021).
Reliable access to clean safe water, as well as sanitation and hygiene (WASH), are essential for communities to thrive. Poor water availability and access to sanitation facilities continues to threaten the well-being of many communities around the world, especially in rural areas with inadequate WASH infrastructure and limited healthcare services. While access to water and sanitation is improving globally, there are still parts of the world where proper hygiene practices are limited due to water scarcity and poor infrastructure.
Acknowledging the scale of the WASH obstacles and lack of access to education about proper hygiene practices, Global Water Challenge (GWC) and its clean water and women’s empowerment action platform women for water, partnered with Cargill to develop projects to address these widespread community water challenges. Through the Cargill Currents partnership, GWC and Cargill have implemented projects as part of Cargill’s goal of enabling improved access to safe drinking water and sanitation for 500,000 people by 2030. Cargill Currents’ partnership platform uses a tailored approach aligned with the footprint of Cargill’s operations and the severity of local water issues. The partnership activities include promoting access to safe WASH.
Currently operating across five continents, Cargill Currents emphasizes a multi-stakeholder approach, recognizing that collaboration with local communities, governments and NGOs is essential for effectively addressing water scarcity and improving WASH conditions.
Children at a school in Brazil using kits provided by Cargill Currents to learn about WASH and positive hygiene practices (Photo credit: ChildFund)
In Brazil, supported by local partners ChildFund, IPESA, Parceiros Voluntários and World Vision, the Cargill Currents partnership has constructed water supply systems and sanitation facilities, significantly improving drinking water access for Brazilian communities across eight municipalities and watersheds. The partnership efforts include installing chlorine water treatment systems (most of them in rural schools), drilling wells and installing solar panels.
In Luís Eduardo Magalhães, a municipality in the Northeast Region of Brazil, Cargill Currents collaborated with the municipality’s Department of Education and identified five schools to benefit from WASH training and education. Supported by local partner ChildFund, the project developed an educational booklet focusing on health habits, hygiene practices and water conservation for training use in the schools. The school children learned about WASH in a fun and engaging way, raising awareness and promoting positive hygiene behaviors to share with their peers and community members.
Marthe, a farmer and former teacher from Mandjock in Cameroon, attending WASH training conducted by Cargill Currents (Photo credit: She’s Stem Foundation)
In Cameroon, Cargill Currents is improving safe drinking water access for communities through the construction of solar-powered mechanized boreholes and manual boreholes. Additionally, the project is empowering women and youth through training and skills building in agriculture and entrepreneurship. To date, over 20,000 people have been positively impacted through WASH, training and other project activities.
Marthe is a dedicated farmer and former teacher from Mandjock, located in the Center Region of Cameroon. Marthe gained valuable skills by joining a WASH committee and training sessions implemented by the project. The training included a range of topics, such as basic principles of water treatment, operation and maintenance of water treatment system and the promotion of hygiene practices and key hygiene messages – all critical in creating an enabling environment to encourage positive WASH and hand hygiene in her community.
Marthe says: “I’ve learned so much about managing our WASH committee and the training on WASH and water treatment. These simple techniques will help us ensure access to clean drinking water and reduce illnesses. We’ve received helpful written resources, and we’re committed to applying this knowledge for the betterment of everyone in our community.”
At a primary school nestled in the heart of Ombessa, in the Center Region of Cameroon, is Baliama, home to a vibrant community of farmers. Supported by local partner She’s Stem Foundation, project activities included construction of a borehole and a five-cabin latrine to support over 200 schoolchildren.
Before these vital improvements, students faced harsh realities. With no dedicated sanitation facilities, girls lacked the privacy they desperately needed. Fetching water for school was a daily struggle, with children walking over 1km to fill their containers from distant wells.
However, due to the project’s interventions – which included hygiene promotion activities and education on the importance of proper handwashing and sanitation practices, the children’s lives have been transformed. With access to clean water and improved sanitation facilities, school enrollment and girls’ hygiene have seen significant improvement. Girls’ school attendance has increased, restoring dignity among the children of Baliama, and ensuring a brighter future for the entire community.
Clean water access and effective handwashing practices are critical in building healthier, more resilient communities. This Global Handwashing Day, we continue our commitment to prioritizing these issues, ensuring we improve health outcomes, empower communities and support economic growth.
Since Cargill Currents launched in 2021, the partnership platform has positively impacted more than 135,000 people with improved WASH access across 68 communities in Brazil, Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Cargill Currents has built a solid foundation and will reach at least 150,000 people by the end of 2024.